State agency considering recommending tolling roads

SOMERSET — At a public meeting in Harrisburg on Monday, the state Transportation Funding Advisory Commission heard how tolling local highways could pay for the upkeep of roads and bridges.

Staffers from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission talked about how levying a $2.65 one-way fee on Route 422 in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties would help pay for road projects.

In addition to hearing about tolling, other suggestions include eliminating safety inspections for new vehicles and doubling the four-year driver’s license renewal time. Those proposals could lower the department’s administrative costs. The commission is not going to recommend tolling specific routes, but is going to finalize a plan for Gov. Tom Corbett to review by Aug. 1.

“The TFAC is making great progress in its efforts to put a financial plan in place for transportation that makes sense and helps improve Pennsylvanians’ overall quality of life, their level of safety on the roads and creates new economic development opportunities,” PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch said in a written statement.

Somerset County Commissioner John Vatavuk said he would support tolling a new four-lane Route 219 if it were the last resort to getting the highway completed.

“I still prefer toll credits,” he said.

Toll credits could help Pennsylvania generate its 20 percent share of the $300 million project. States earn toll credits for spending money to improve toll roads such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Toll credits used to be allowed as matching funding for Appalachian Development Highway System projects, including Route 219, but the use of toll credits as state matching funds was taken out of the last transportation bill.

“Toll credits are back in the (upcoming) transportation bill, but we aren’t sure when it will come up for a vote,” Vatavuk said.

He met last week with staff members of U.S. Rep. Mark Critz, D-Johnstown, and Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg, to discuss Route 219.

“We’re banking on toll credits and keeping our fingers crossed they’ll be in the next bill,” he said.

Corbett signed an executive order April 21 creating the advisory commission. The commission has until Aug. 1 to provide the governor with a proposal for addressing the transportation funding needs of Pennsylvania.